Past Times and Times to Come
by MegaPotterHead
Summary: A series of one-shots following the relationship of the Trio and Ginny. Jumps back and forth through time. Post-war. RW/HG and HP/GW. Please R&R!
1. HarryGinny

**A/N: Hey guys, this is my second story on FF. These are just one-shots of different moments in the lives of Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**** Please R&R!**** If you see any mistakes, DO NOT HESITATE to correct me! I LOVE IT when people catch my mistakes, because it means they care! Oh, and sorry this one is short, I couldn't wait to post it, so it might be kind of rushed as well.  
**

******A/N2: If you get the chance, check out the first chapter of my other story Americans at Hogwarts, which I am co-writing with a friend. For those who have already read it, I'm waiting for my partner to finish writing his chapter. ****  
**

Harry/Ginny

"Dear, are you almost ready? James is getting bored waiting around for you to come downstairs," a feminine voice called from the bottom of the steps. Harry chuckled at the thought of little, one-year-old James crawling around on the floor of the sitting room among his buckets of toys, utterly bored.

"I'm almost done, love. Have you seen my other shoe? I can't seem to find it anywhere," he called back downstairs through the open door of their bedroom.

"Ginny sighed from the bottom of the steps and began her ascent towards the upper floor. She walked into the bedroom she shared with her husband to find said husband in the middle of the room surrounded by various pairs of shoes, clutching a shiny black one in his left hand and his holly wand in the other.

"What did you do, Summon the whole closet?" she asked with a smile.

"Um...well…er…yes," he finally admitted, looking quite sheepish by this point. "I only meant to Summon the one shoe, but I guess I'm a bit out of practice. I forgot how specific to be when Summoning objects."

Ginny just laughed at the antics of her husband and managed to quickly Summon the correct shoe. She tossed it to her husband, who could have sworn he heard her mumble something like, "hopelessly lost without me" as she walked back downstairs.

He rolled his eyes and hurriedly placed each shoe on the correct foot before following the red-haired beauty to the sitting room, where James was gnawing on one of his teething rings, looking utterly bored. Harry had to laugh; the look on James' face was exactly the one he had pictured earlier.

He quickly crossed the remaining length of the room and scooped up his son and gently tossed him in the air before saying, "Is my little James excited to be going to the zoo today? I'm sure we'll have lots of fun with the elephants and tigers and…snakes." He shot a glance at his wife, as she too remembered the event involving a very large snake and Harry's cousin Dudley. They both smiled and trained their attention on James, who began to fidget in Harry's arms. "Alright, alright, James. Ginny, do you have his diaper bag?"

Ginny patted the light blue-checkered bag on her shoulder, "Yup. Do you have the keys? We have to pick up Ron and Hermione on the way there."

Harry patted his pocket, "Right here. I still don't see why we can't just Apparate there."

"Because we don't want to attract unwanted attention," she reminded him.

Harry just rolled his eyes and walked over to where she was standing by the door. He stared at her beautiful face for a moment and said, "I do not know how I would have survived all those months of chasing after Horcruxes if I hadn't been thinking of you and your safety practically the whole time. Do you know how many times I thought of you each day? Even on the coldest winter nights, with the snow and sleet pounding against the side of the tent, just the thought of you, warm in my arms, safe from Voldemort, was enough to allow me a night of rest. I love you, Ginny."

Her smile was big enough to power the whole house without magic, "And I love you, too, Harry. I always did and I always will." She stretched up and gently reached her arms around his neck, careful not to hit James, and kissed him full on the lips. It was only about ten seconds, but the love in that kiss was enough to knock the breath out of both of them. Harry decided ten seconds was simply not enough time and pulled her face back to his with his free hand, the one that was not carrying James. He was about to suggest a more comfortable place when he suddenly remembered where they were supposed to be going today. He regretfully pulled away and jerked his head towards the door. Ginny realized that they were supposed to pick up Ron and Hermione and frowned a little. It had been so long since they had had a day to themselves.

_Oh well. Sometime soon, I will find someone to watch James and I will chain Harry to the couch if I have to, but we will have a day to ourselves. _On the way to the car, she told Harry this and he laughed and said they could just have Mrs. Weasley watch James; she had been hinting at it for quite a while now. Harry buckled up James in the back seat and opened Ginny's door before heading to the driver's side to get in.

They held hands all the way to Ron and Hermione's house, thinking of the times past and the times to come, and smiled.

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	2. RonHermione

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update this one, I've had it done for a while, but I've had a lot going on and didn't get a chance to type it up until recently. I figured since I have the day off tomorrow, I could update this one and finish writing the next chapter (Harry/Ginny). **

**Something I noticed is that this one is significantly shorter than my Harry/Ginny one. This is probably because I'm only just starting and need some more ideas. If you have any, just PM me and I'll see what I can do! Please R&R! If you see any mistakes, just let me know and I will fix them. **

**Thanks, HarryPotterFangirl4Ever**

**A/N2: I know, I know, I write too many A/Ns! But this one is just to say that the next chapter of my other FF, "Americans at Hogwarts" is up and I have no idea when the next one will come, my partner and I have been SUPER BUSY and we appreciate your patience. **

**Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own the wonderful works of JK Rowling. *sniff, cry*  
**

Ron/Hermione

Ron moaned.

"C'mon Dad! We have to get the Death Easters! C'mon Dad, help me beat up Voldemort!" said a high pitched voice, the arm connected to the body from which the voice was coming from was tugging on his arm, encouraging him to get out of his soft, warm bed.

"Rose, sweetie, it's really late and I'm tired. Why don't you go play with Hugo?" said Ron in an unmistakably tired voice.

"But he's a baby! He cries all the time, especially when he loses!"

At that moment, Hermione decided to walk out of the bathroom. "Rose, honey, I thought I told you to go back to bed?"

"But I want to play Auror with Daddy!"

"Well, your dad is really tired after a whole dad playing 'Auror' with Uncle Harry. Maybe of you go to bed right now and fall asleep right away without any delays, your father will play 'Auror' with you in the morning when you get up," Hermione said as she rubbed her eyes and guided Rose out the door . Ron groaned mentally as he realized how excited Rose had just become. Rose quickly kissed her mother goodnight and ran to her room.

When Hermione closed the door with a happy sigh and turned to the bed she shared with Ron, he said, "Hermione, why would you tell her that? Now she's gonna get up really early and drag me out of bed to play with her."

"Well," Hermione paused to yawn, "I figured it would be better to play with her in the morning when you have had a good night's rest than right now when you are probably sore and tired from work."

Ron thought for a moment as Hermione crawled from the edge of the bed into his waiting arms and nuzzled her head against his chest.

He realized she was right. "Well...but…Fine, but you have to play with us too!"

She laughed softly, "Oh Ron, if my agreeing will get you to relax and enjoy the few quiet moments we get each night, _alone_, then fine, I will get up with you and play 'Auror' with Rose."

He had not expected her to give in so easily! He had thought she would state how she was the one who stayed home and played with them all day and how he needed more quality time with his children, but she agreed right away! He thought this was probably due to the fact that she was so tired and simply said, "Okay then, but I still get to have my revenge later on."

Hermione rolled her eyes at her husband's childish ways. She supposed this was one of the things that she had fallen in love with: the fact that even as a grown man he could still act childish and managed to get her to relax enough to take a break from all the studying she did. _Another thing I love about my husband, _she thought as she started to drift.

"Hey, 'Mione?" he asked sleepily, jerking her out of her state of semi-consciousness.

"Yes, Ron?" she replied, her voice just as sleepy.

"I love you," he stated simply.

She smiled, "I love you, too."

"Yeah, but I bet I love you more."

"I love you more than I love books," she reasoned.

"I love you more than Quidditch," he countered.

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Why don't we agree that we love each other equally?" Hermione said, desperate to let sleep overcome her.

"Mmkay," agreed Ron.

She sighed happily as the couple lapsed into a comfortable silence. She began to gently trace circles with her middle and ring finger on Ron's chest. Ron brought a hand to her face and began gently rubbing his thumb against her silky smooth cheek as she fell asleep.


	3. HarryGinny2

**A/N: Whew! Two chapters in one night! Granted, they were both pretty short, but they weren't meant to be that long anyway! Anyway, here's another Harry/Ginny one-shot as promised, just a lot sooner than planned. I decided that all of them couldn't be fluff, so here's a little drama (another mandatory component in any good story!). Hope ya'll like it and if you see anything I messed up or over-looked, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE WITH PUMPKIN PASTIES ON TOP PM me! And for anyone who read it and didn't review, NO VIRTUAL COOKIE FOR YOU! Lol, PLEASE R&R! I love opening up my email to find a Review Alert waiting for me! **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter *cries* nor am I JK Rowling *sobs*, BUT the Polyjuice Potion should be done soon...*insert evil laugh here*  
**

Harry/Ginny #2

_Ginny,_

_ Will be late for dinner. New lead on Death Eaters still in hiding. Must investigate. _

_Love,_

_Harry_

Ginny stared at the note that had been brought to her by the owl Harry had received from Hagrid on his last birthday.

It had been three years since the fateful Battle of Hogwarts and there were still Death Eaters evading capture. Harry had skipped many years of his Auror training because of his 'hands-on' experiences while camping with Ron and Hermione. Though the fiery red-head understood the importance of her husband's job to the Wizarding community, she was more than a little frustrated that she hardly saw him anymore. Every day it was another- and often repeating- excuse:

_ "Too much paperwork…"_

_ "Have an important meeting with the Wizengamot…"_

_ "A co-worker needs my help…"_

After the first few months of constant tardiness, she considered the fact that he may have been cheating on her. There were plenty of gorgeous girls throughout the Ministry, and even more that would be more than willing to shag the famous Harry Potter, but when she finally confronted him about it, he was so hurt that she could even fathom him being unfaithful that she believed him immediately when he told her that ever since the end of the war, he had simply been busy at work and before that with Auror training.

But how was it possible that he could be busy nearly every day for the past year and a half? So busy that there were times when she would fall asleep waiting for him?

Ginny simply sighed and placed the note on an ever-growing pile of hastily-written pieces of parchment on the corner of the counter. She then turned to the stove and used magic to reduce the portion size of the onion soup she had been making. _Looks like another lonely dinner. Maybe Hermione will come over after dinner and go shopping at that little Muggle bookstore she mentioned the other day, _thought Ginny and she stirred the soup. Hermione was forever looking for new bookshops and was constantly inviting Ginny to come with her when she shopped for new romances. She quickly used the Floo Network to ask Hermione if she would like to visit the bookshop later on and after setting up a time, went back to the soup on the stove.

She was just getting on her cloak when Harry happened to walk through the front door.

"Hey, Ginny. Where're you off to?" he asked when he saw her traveling cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

"I'm off to a bookshop Hermione found recently. She wants to look at a few new books that came out that she may be willing to buy," Ginny replied a little coolly.

Harry's face fell. "Oh…Well, it's just that I managed to leave work earlier than expected and I thought we could go out for dinner."

"Well, why didn't you send an owl ahead? I've only been waiting for about three hours," she said sarcastically.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he mumbled.

"Well, I wasn't going to wait all night. After a year and a half of eating dinners alone or with Hermione, I learned not to expect much from the bloody Boy-Who-Lived. I mean really, what did you expect? If I waited around for you to come home every night, I would go to bed quite hungry and end up as skinny as you used to be," she said as she crossed her arms. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be late," and with that she turned on her heels and walked out the door.

A single tear ran down her cheek as she Apparated when Harry did not call her back.


	4. RonHermione2

**A/N: Okay, so here you go: the next one-shot with Ron and Hermione. As you may have noticed, the last one about Harry and Ginny had quite a bit of drama, so I thought this one should have drama, just to make it even. ;) Enjoy! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Since I cry every time I write this, I'm going to have the characters do it for me.**

**Harry: Wait, so what am I supposed to say again?**

**Me: Just read the little piece of parchment I gave you!**

**Harry: Oh right… **_**HarryPotterFangirl4Ever does not own Harry Potter or any of the characters created by the brilliant J.K. Rowling. **_**Wait, someone OWNS me? **

An Unexpected Visitor

Hermione was just packing up the last of her books before she left the classroom for lunch in the Great Hall when she sensed someone coming up behind her. After a year of living on edge in a tent, she had developed something like a sixth sense that warned her when someone was coming towards her from behind.

She paused and listened to the footsteps as they walked in between the rows and rows of desks. _Definitely male, _she thought. _Too heavy and not graceful enough to be female, but oddly quiet for a male, especially seventeen year old males._ She was just about to turn around to confront the boy when a hand reached around her body. She stiffened and whirled around, wand in hand, and shoved the man in the chest as hard as she could; so hard, in fact, that she heard the out-coming gasp of breath she knocked from his lungs. It was then that she noticed the flaming red hair.

"Oh God, Ron, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was-," she stopped suddenly when she realized that the man was not actually Ron. This boy had deep brown eyes, no freckles, and was wearing Ravenclaw robes.

"Um, my name isn't Ron. It's actually Matthew. I simply happened to notice that your quill was about to fall off the table and, since you had not yet noticed, I thought I would be a gentleman and grab it before it fell, but it seems you do not need my assistance," he said with a slightly hurt expression, but his eyes contradicted his tone; they seemed to be laughing.

There was something more to his statement than the simple want to "be a gentleman" as he had put it, but, having little experience in the ways of the male mind, she could not figure out what it was. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Matthew. Now, if you will excuse me," she said as she put away the very quill that had almost fallen off the desk, "I am very hungry after a whole morning of vigorous learning and I would like to have lunch." There was something about the way his eyes changed when she mentioned going to lunch that made her realize his true intention of coming over to her desk.

"Well, seeing as I am headed there as well, we should walk together, for companionship, you know," thought Hermione was quite sure by this point that Matthew had more than "companionship" on his mind, she could not think of a way to deny the request without seeming rude.

"I suppose that would be okay, but I simply must stop by the Gryffindor common room first. I no longer have a need to carry around most of the books currently in my bag," she said, hoping the idea of walking all the way up to the seventh floor would discourage him from wanting to walk with her.

"That is perfectly acceptable. I know of several short-cuts that will speed up the process and we can avoid Peeves. I heard he was planning a pretty big prank on the sixth floor around this time," Matthew stated cheerfully. _The typical Ravenclaw, knowledgeable of just about every short-cut in the Hogwarts, _thought Hermione. _Well, I suppose if it will save time, then it might be worth it. _

"Fine. Let's go."

As she walked with Matthew through the familiar halls of Hogwarts, she found herself enjoying Matthew's company. The only person she really talked to was Ginny, seeing as she was the only one out of her, Ron, and Harry that had chosen to go back to school to complete her seventh and final year. It was nice having another intellectual to talk to, whether it was homework, the N.E.W.T.S., or anything else that happened to cross either of their minds.

It was only when they reached the entrance to the Great Hall that she realized just how long they had been walking. She did not even remember putting away her schoolbooks or even walking into the Gryffindor common room. All she remembered was the look of Matthew's face as the conversation went from subject to subject naturally. She could not remember ever talking with someone so long and enjoyed the feeling of companionship. She was about to walk into the Great Hall for some much-needed sustenance when Matthew unexpectedly grabbed her arm before she could touch the handle to the huge double doors.

"Hang on, Hermione, I have something important to tell you-,"

"Hermione! Oi, HERMIONE!" bellowed a deep voice from the other side of the hall. Hermione recognized the voice at once and turned immediately and ran into the waiting arms of Ron. "Oof!" he grunted as she made contact. "Hermione, if I didn't know any better, I would say you missed me!"

Hermione laughed in explicit happiness," Oh Ronald, of _course_ I missed you! How could I not? Your last letter came over a month ago and I was so worried that the owl had perhaps gotten lost or that you may have forgotten to write a response."

"'Mione, how could I ever forget about you? You are the most important thing in my life," he said, completely sincere.

"Oh Ron, I missed you so much!" Hermione practically yelled as she hugged him again.

"Oh, okay. I see how it is: I don't see you for five months and all I get is a hug? That's okay, I'll remember that come Easter," he said in mock sadness.

Hermione giggled and kissed him full on the mouth, trying to cram as much love and affection as she could in that one kiss. When she pulled away for a breath, she remembered Matthew. "Oh, Ron, there's someone I would like you to meet-" she said as she turned, but when she once again faced the double doors to the Great Hall, Matthew was nowhere in sight. How odd. Why had he gone into the Great Hall without her? It was then that she remembered the whole reason he had asked to accompany her down to lunch and she felt a little sick to her stomach, his last words suddenly ringing in her ears, _"I have something important to tell you-." _Now she really felt awful because she had a pretty good guess as to what his "something important" was. _But half the Wizarding world knows that I am engaged to Ron. Surely he had to have known; otherwise he would not have_ _flirted with me so willingly. Oh wait, but I acted just as badly. I flirted right back, though it was completely unintentional, _she thought morosely as Ron continued to stare at her as if all the dust from the library had finally driven her bonkers.

"Uh, Hermione? Are you alright?" said Ron with concern.

What should she say? _Well Ronald, right before you arrived, I spent a good thirty minutes flirting with some boy I have never met and now I feel awful because I accidentally broke his heart. _

_Yes, I'm sure he would take that _real _well, _she thought sarcastically. _Better just pretend like nothing is the matter. _"Of course I am fine. What reason could I possibly have to not be alright?" she said, though a little unconvincingly.

"Are you sure? Just a minute ago you had the most painful look on your face, like you just watched Crookshanks die or something."

"I said I'm fine. Now let's go into the Great Hall, I'm so hungry," she replied as she dragged him through the giant double doors and towards the Gryffindor table. She determinedly did not look over at the Ravenclaw table. If she had, she might have seen a boy about her age with ginger hair and warm brown eyes that were just beginning to shed tears.


	5. HarryGinny3

**A/N: Hey guys! Here in Virginia we had a four-day weekend (hurray for Veterans' Day and staff days!), so I figured I would spend some time working on my next one-shot. I have been polishing it and changing things so it can be the best because I LOVE YOU GUYS (in a totally not stalker-ish way) and I want you to enjoy this story. **

**This one came to me after I spent the day with my boyfriend and at one point we started talking about what happened right **_**after**_** the Battle of Hogwarts. Well, here is what I think happened to Harry when he, Ron, and Hermione got back to common room… the title is a bit of a give-away though...**

**Disclaimer-**

**Hermione: And why am I reading this?**

**Me: Because I get sad every time I have to say it!**

**Hermione: Fine... _HarryPotterFangirl4Ever unfortunately is not the owner of the brilliant books written by J.K. Rowling, now does she own the movies made by Warner Bros. She also does not wish to profit from the stories, for they are written for the enjoyment and happiness of others. _Aw, that is so sweet! **

**Me: Enjoy everyone! And free virtual cookies for everyone who reviews! *holds up a basket full of virtual chocolate chip cookies*  
**

A Slap to the Face

Harry was so tired, so emotionally drained after so many deaths, that he just could not muster the energy to be happy that Voldemort was gone, finally, eternally gone. He could tell that Ron and Hermione felt the same. The whole way up to the seventh floor, Hermione was leaning on Ron, and Ron was dragging his feet. When they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found her face full of happiness.

"No password needed, Mr. Potter. Go right in," she said with a smile and a nod.

Harry simply nodded and allowed Ron to help Hermione through before following them into the Gryffindor common room. The first one to speak was Hermione. "Well, I know you wanted some sandwiches Harry, but I am really knackered. I think I'll go right to bed if you don't mind."

"No problem. I think we all deserve a good snooze," he replied, yawning.

Hermione began to walk towards the staircase that lead to the girls' dormitory when she stopped, "Um, Ron, could I talk to you? It won't take long, but it's really important."

Ron looked a little confused, but followed her up, nodding at Harry before climbing the stairs behind Hermione.

"I think it might take a little longer than he thinks."

Harry jumped, wand in hand, thinking Death Eaters had somehow managed to get into the Gryffindor common room. Instead, he found a very pale Ginny sitting in one of the armchairs near the fire. "Ginny! You nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing up here? I thought you were still in the Great Hall with your family? What do you mean it will take longer than he thinks?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and walked towards Harry, stopping about two feet from him. "I'm saying that I don't think she plans on 'talking' to him. More like she wants to snog him senseless."

"Oh," he said, suddenly feeling awkward when he saw the look of wanting in her eyes, as if she would like nothing better than for him to snog her senseless. "Look, Ginny, I'm really sorry for leaving. I didn't want to, but-," _SLAP!_ Ginny hand came out of nowhere and connected with Harry's cheek. "What the bloody hell was that for?" he yelled as his hand cradled his stinging cheek.

"_That_, Harry James Potter, was scaring me half to death by pretending to be dead," and then she lunged at him, and he tried to pull away, fearing a much more painful attack, but instead he felt her chapped lips meet his and he was falling, yet he didn't care because she was kissing him with such a ferocity that he could not help except to respond in kind. There they lay on the carpeted floor of the Gryffindor common room, kissing for what could only have been a minute or so, but felt like a million, glorious, shining years for both Harry and Ginny. Her moist tongue slightly grazed his bottom lip and he parted his lips and allowed her to enter. Their tongues fought a fierce battle for dominance in each others' mouths. Suddenly, the need for oxygen overrode the insatiable lust for each other and they were forced to pull away. Panting, she said, "and _that_ was for leaving me."

Also panting, he replied with a slight smile, "Then maybe I should leave more often." She disentangled her arm from behind him and smacked the back of his head.

"Don't even think about it," she growled as she smashed her lips onto his again. This time it was a little more gentle, but still passionate, their tongues dancing a waltz instead of a tango. His large, scarred hands got tangled in her long, beautiful red hair and her hands grabbed hanks of his hair and held on as if her life depended on it, which it may have felt like to her.

After about ten minutes, Harry got tired of laying on the floor and managed to bring them to the couch, where Ginny immediately pushed him over so that she was on top, her mouth never leaving his. Suddenly, her hands began to roam down, until they rested at the very top of his tattered jeans. Harry tensed: he wasn't ready for that yet. He pulled away from her face and gently removed her hands. "Not yet, love. Why don't we wait a while? Besides, I don't think Ron would be very happy if he came downstairs to find me shagging his little sister."

"But it's not like they aren't doing exactly the same thing upstairs! I doubt they will be coming down any time soon. I haven't seen you in months and months and I want you _now_," she said as she again attempted to undo his pants.

"No," he said again, more sternly, once again removing her hands. "You aren't even of age, and the battle just ended. Why don't we give it some time?"

She pouted a moment, and then seemed to realize the truth of his words. "Fine, but I am not waiting a day after my next birthday."

He sighed, suddenly too tired to continue the fight. "We'll see," he replied, not committing to a definite answer. "For now, why don't we go to sleep? I haven't had any rest in the last twenty four hours, and I don't think I would last long in bed right now anyway."

"Fine… I suppose we can go to your dorm since Hermione's is 'occupied,'" she said as she got up from the couch and pulled him along with her up the stairs to the seventh year dormitory.

As they lay down in what would have been Harry's four poster bed, he wrapped his long arm around her and pulled her close. She was facing away from him so he dug his face into her hair, smelling the sweet smell of some flower he was never able to recognize. It was to this scent that he fell asleep to and it was her he dreamt of, the woman he would gladly spend the rest of his life with.

**Muahahahaha! An almost-lemon! I know many of you may be hurt from my evil ways, but I really don't think I'm ready to write a lemon. Maybe some time in the near (or distant) future. **


	6. RonHermione3

**A/N: Hello again! And here, after long hours of slaving over the hot computer (actually It was only about one hour) and endless planning (this entire story was written on the spot), here is the next chapter in my ever-growing list of one-shots. Again, drama is present, as is fluff.**

**It has also come to my attention that people seemed to be "favoriting" and "alerting" my stories, but never reviewing! Reviews are how I get better! Plus, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that SOMEONE out there cares enough about my story to leave a review. It doesn't have to be much, just a simple "I really liked it" or even a "Eh, it was okay" would make me soooooo happy! So please, spend about 30 seconds of your already short life and click the little "Review" button at the bottom of the page and leave me a sentence or two on your opinion. It really helps!**

**Oh and I apologize in advance for any mistakes it may have, but if you notice any, PLEASE MESSAGE ME OR LEAVE A REVIEW.  
**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: -sigh- Please?**

**Harry: No.**

**Me: Pretty please?**

**Harry: No.**

**Me: Pretty please with Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans on top?**

**Harry: Ew, and no.**

**Hermione: -smacks Harry- Just do it! You promised!**

**Harry: -grumbles as he rubs the spot where Hermione hit him- Fine… **_**HarryPotterFangirl4Ever does not own anything that is part of the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. **_**Happy now? **

**Me: Yes. =) **

Something Missing

Hermione watched as Ron soared through the air on his broomstick, swooping up to catch the quaffle thrown to him by George, and flying towards the goal hoop at the far end of the giant Quidditch field. She was entranced by his grace, for it never seemed to follow him any farther than the changing rooms.

Technically, she was _supposed_ to be doing her homework, but Harry and George had surprised both her and Ginny by visiting Hogwarts on the pretense of checking up on the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop that had been set up earlier in the year in Hogsmeade. Hermione and Ron had become inseparable after the Battle of Hogwarts, so when George offered Ron a job working at his Hogsmeade branch of his joke shop, Hermione had been ecstatic. She alone of the Golden Trio had decided to go back and finish her seventh and final year at the newly repaired Hogwarts. But now it was Easter break, and, though Hermione had to prepare for her N.E.W.T. exams, she had decided that it would be best to enjoy Harry and George's visit while she could.

And, even though Ron was only a little down the road in Hogsmeade, she still had to follow the rules and could only see him on their Hogsmeade weekends. Ginny noticed the downturn in her attitude with the continuation of Ron's absence and had tried to talk to her, but she just couldn't seem to get through. So, she had owled Harry to ask that he visit them during the Easter holidays, but pretend that he and George were only "checking up" on Ron, when really he would talk to Hermione about Ron, or vice versa. He had owled back quickly and completely agreed with Ginny. Through her letters, he could tell that Hermione was indeed becoming depressed at the lack of interaction with her boyfriend.

As Hermione watched Ron and George pass the quaffle back and forth, she did not notice when Harry landed behind her and approached her spot on the grass. "You always were the worst actress," he said suddenly, and from directly behind her, making her jump.

While he waited for the shock to wear off, he came and sat next to her. When her heart was no longer racing, she turned to him and asked, "What do you mean? What could I possibly have to hide?" Though her mouth said one thing, he saw her eyes say another.

"You know exactly what I mean," he said, giving her an all-knowing look. When she proceeded to attempt to look at him blankly, he said, "We can all tell that you miss Ron, Hermione. Even through your letters, I can tell that you are slowly shriveling like those roses he sent you on Valentine's Day."

Hermione did not reply; and here she thought that she was doing so well in convincing everyone that she was fine! But no, if she was being honest with herself, and she was, she had to admit that Ron's absence was taking its toll on her. As Harry continually tried to get her to admit what was bothering her, even though most of her close friends already knew, she stubbornly refused to admit that anything was the matter, and simply pondered her situation.

She knew, deep within her, that if only Ron was with her, by her side, that she would be okay, but this was not so. When Ron had informed her that he would not be attending another year at Hogwarts, "why bother?" he had asked, she was crushed. Those first few weeks at Hogwarts had reminded her of the long period of time when Ron had left her and Harry to continue the search for the Horcruxes alone, and she had been deeply wounded when he flat-out refused to come back with her. He had thought that by taking the job at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes would be enough, but while he seemed unaffected by how little time they spent in each others' presence, she was suffering. Without him near her, it seemed that a part of her was missing, like someone had torn away the second half of her favorite book, taking the ending and making it impossible to finish. She had tried hard to concentrate on schoolwork, but the absence of Ron nagged at her, all through classes and at night, making hard to concentrate on her homework and even harder to fall asleep. Her teachers had noticed when she began to fall a little behind, and had begun to worry when she received her first E in Transfiguration, but they didn't know what to do. No one knew what to do.

After a good ten minutes of trying to pick Hermione's brain, he gave it up as a lost cause and returned to the two-on-two Quidditch match. Afterward, he kept Ron back in the changing rooms, wanting to see if he knew anything. "Hey, have you noticed anything…odd about Hermione's behavior lately?"

Ron finished lacing up his shoes and turned to Harry. "Well, she doesn't seem as…happy as normal. Why? Is something wrong?" Harry felt relieved: Ron _had_ noticed, but was unsure of what to do, as Ron usually was when it came to females.

"From what Ginny has told me, she misses you, mate, and it's starting to affect her schoolwork. Just last week, she got an E on a Transfiguration essay," Harry replied, and began to explain everything he and Ginny had noticed over the long months. Ron's face grew more and more red as he realized, not only how important he was in Hermione's life, but also how much _he _had missed _her_. From the way Harry described it, it sounded like Hermione was having the exact same problem he was having. He was always distracted, he couldn't sleep, and he never felt like doing anything. He had even lost his appetite on several occasions! As he listened to the symptoms of Hermione told to him by Harry, a plan began to form in his mind.

When Harry completed his monologue, Ron said, "Got it, mate. I'll go take care of it right now," and left the changing rooms quickly, leaving Harry to stare confusedly at the door, wondering if anything he had said had affected Ron at all. The moment Ron exited, he headed towards Hermione, who was standing a little off to the side, gazing into the Forbidden Forest.

Without slowing down, he made his way to her in a few long strides, and soon was right behind her. "Hermione!" he called, causing her to turn around quickly.

"Ron! What are you-," but she never got to finish her question because suddenly his lips were pressed against hers, bringing all conversation to a screeching halt. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She replied with enthusiasm and threw her arms around his neck. They stood there for what could have been years, kissing each other with such heated passion that they were completely oblivious when George, Ginny, and Harry slunk away towards the castle. They quickly forgot to breathe and had to pull apart or risk fainting from lack of oxygen.

As they continued to stand in the tight embrace, Ron murmured, "I love you, Hermione, and don't you dare forget it. No matter how many miles are forced between us, I will always love you will all of my heart."

Hermione simply beamed at him and kissed him again. This time the kiss was gentle, but still full of love. He responded equally as gentle, cradling her face in his large, calloused hands.

"But Ron, this still doesn't solve the problem of how I am going to survive the rest of the school year so far away from you," she said as she pulled away for another breath.

Ron shook his head, a knowing smile in his lips, "Hermione, do you honestly still doubt how much I truly love you? The answer is simple, and I can't believe we didn't see it before. All we have to do is use Floo Powder. We can talk via fireplace and still be able to concentrate on our work instead of how much we miss each other."

_Of course! _thought Hermione. _Why didn't I see it before?_ Now she would not have to pine for him every night in her common room when she was supposed to be getting her work done.

And suddenly, it felt like someone had finally given her the last half of her book, and at the end, on the very last page, she saw a "And they lived happily ever after." followed by those famous last words:

The End.

**A/N2: I know, I know, not the best ending, but I couldn't figure out how else to end it! I was running out of ideas, so I thought I would bring back the metaphor I used at the beginning. PLEASE R&R! Anyone who does gets a free virtual piece of bacon! –holds up a plate with fresh virtual bacon on it-**


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